


till death do us part

by frigginzazzed



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ghost Yamaguchi Tadashi, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Timeskip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27967208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frigginzazzed/pseuds/frigginzazzed
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi has inhabited apartment 52 on some street in Tokyo since he died. Not many people believe in spirits anymore, and even fewer can communicate with the dead. He's watched people come and go for years, all of them not noticing him. Until a lanky college student moves in and sparks something deep within him.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Kudos: 5





	till death do us part

Yamaguchi sat on the concrete stairs watching people walk down the street. Some had scarves around their necks and coats wrapping their frames, a dog here and there. Puffs of smoke blew past their mouths when they exhaled and it reminded him of his lifelessness. It's a sharp pang in his otherwise empty chest that he ignores. He pushes himself off of the steps and shifts through the door to his apartment complex. 

He goes up the stairs and through the door, probably knowing the way to his room with his eyes closed. He paces the empty space of the living room for a bit, his feet catching on the splinters in the wood floors and tries to focus on feeling the cold feeling of the floor to ground himself. He checks out the window for the tenth time that day, nerves jittery from excitement.

He had been eavesdropping on the landlord's conversation yesterday and they had said someone new was moving in on the second floor today. He didn't know if the new inhabitant would even live on his floor but he couldn't help but feel a little spark of hope in his chest.

It'd been so long since he'd talked to someone, apart from the other spirits he'd see now and then on the streets or inhabiting other places. 

It got boring sometimes with no one to talk to except for the weeping woman on the first floor. She was good company but her crying wasn't his favorite thing to listen to. He'd tried cheering her up once but it seemed she just couldn't stop crying.

He didn't let himself hope that whoever was moving in could see him, let alone talk to him. He'd been let down more times than he could count and wasn't up for more disappointment. But it still didn't stop him from thinking of the possibilities. The thought of talking to someone that was alive made his heart jump in his chest. 

Shaking the thoughts from his head with a huff, he sat crisscross on the middle of the floor. Maybe whoever's moving in would be nice. He hoped they wouldn't bring a different person home every night like the last renter. It was fun scaring that guy though, he wouldn't lie. or maybe they'd have a pet. That would be the _best _.__

Yamaguchi closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the new possible inhabitant of the apartment restlessly.

\---

The doorknob rattles and Yamaguchi's eyes snap open. The room is dark, so he can't see much but the door opens and light floods the room. In the doorway stands a tall figure and they hobble into the room with what looks like a box in hand. They hit the wall a few times searching for a light switch dumbly, which elicits a choked laugh from Yamaguchi. The person seems to find the light switch but freezes right as Yamaguchi laughs.

The light flashes on and he squints, using his arm to cover his eyes. Once they adjust, he lowers it and finds that the - what seems to be a man - is staring directly at him. His mouth is slightly ajar and he shoots a hand up to push his glasses up his nose.

Yamaguchi takes a moment to just look at him. He has short blonde hair that glows from the way the hallway lights hit the back of his figure. He's _really_ tall, just a couple inches from touching the top of the door frame with his head. He's quite lanky, he thinks to himself. 

"Who're you?" Yamaguchi blinks once, twice. This can't be right. Is he talking to him?

The guy clears his throat and hoists the box up to his waist. He looks to be expecting an answer.

There's no way this guy can see him right now. He looks behind him only to see the empty room. "You can see me?" His voice sounds small in his ears.

"Uh huh, now tell me who you are." The shock on his face was slowly melting away and was being replaced by a look of... annoyance?

What should he say? He's never been good with his words, even when he was alive. No one has talked to him since about ten years ago and they hadn't even had full conversation until she was running away. His social skills are probably the worst they've ever been. He probably thinks he's gonna rob or kill him. He wouldn't like seeing a stranger sitting in the middle of his living room floor.

He pushed himself off of his hands and walked closer to the man, who took a step back quickly.

"It's fine I won't hurt you. Actually I don't really think I can." He mumbled the last part but the man still heard. He furrowed his brows at that. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Shit he didn't mean to say that aloud. His social skills _definitely_ haven't improved.

Should he do it? He always hated this however many times he did it, he'd never get used to phasing through someone living. If Yamaguchi can't tell him with words, this is the only option, he thinks.

Yamaguchi sucks in a breath and takes three big strides across the room. He tucked his arms in and anticipated the familiar feeling he hated. The guy opened his mouth to say something but before it could come out Yamaguchi was phasing through his body.

A chill ran up his spine and the room was spinning. There were black dots painting his vision and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the feeling to pass. 

By the time he counted to ten he turned back in the doorway and the man was shivering. Yamaguchi took the box from his shaking hands with great effort and set it down. After doing so he put a hesitant hand on the man's back and led him to the middle of the room to sit down.

"Sorry, I hate doing that. It always makes me lightheaded." His apology was met with silence. Guilt courses through his body and he bites the inside of his cheek.

He waited for the man to come to his senses. He is staring at the floor with a piercing gaze and Yamaguchi's glad isn't pointed at him, otherwise he'd be shaking even more. 

"So," The man cleared his throat. "What just happened?" He looked up to meet Yamaguchi's gaze.

He ducked his head and shifted uncomfortably. "Um, I'm not exactly- are you a medium?"

"Not- not that I know of." he pushed his glasses up his nose for the second time.

Yamaguchi huffed out a breath. "Nobody's ever seem me before and not ran away. You're the first." He lifted his head to look at the guy. He seemed a little less dazed now, eyebrows relaxed and gaze less intense. "Sorry, this is kind of... unexpected." The man grunted.

"Do you need some w-"

"Just shut up please." Yamaguchi shut his mouth quickly and squeaked a sorry.

There was a beat of silence and the tall man rose with a groan. "You can explain later I just need to get my stuff up here before it's too dark." Yamaguchi nodded and the man left him sitting in the middle of the room with the sound of his footsteps fading down the hall.

\---

After getting most of his belongings and furniture into the once empty apartment, the man plopped onto the couch. He lifted his hands to rub at his eyes from under his glasses, almost knocking them off completely. It was kind of mesmerizing, Yamaguchi thought, just watching him. The man's movements looked so calculated yet graceful. He found himself not being able to look away.

"So," The man dropped him hands into his lap and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. Yamaguchi was sat on the floor in front of him and he leaned his torso back in response to the man's sudden movement. "What's your name?"

Oh. He wasn't expecting a normal question like that. Maybe some interrogation, but not that. He felt some of the tension in his shoulders and jaw lift.

"Yamaguchi Tadashi," He smiled wide and lifted his hand. "And you?"

"Tsukishima Kei." He answers. His name suits him, Yamaguchi thinks. The m- Tsukishima, he corrects himself, is very much like the moon. God, that's the sappiest thing he's ever thought.

Tsukishima didn't meet Yamaguchi's gesture so he let his hand drop slowly back to his lap. 

There was a beat of silence and Yamaguchi waited for further questions from Tsukishima. His expression looked thoughtful and he opened and closed his mouth, much like a koi fish.

"Are you a ghost?" Yamaguchi's brows rose just a bit on his forehead and he nodded at Tsukishima. 

”Explains a lot.” He mumbled. 

They sat there in the living room for awhile, asking questions about each other until there wasn't much else to say and Tsukishima was yawning every few seconds. By the end of the night Yamaguchi had learned that Tsukishima is a college student and is planning to work at a nearby museum after graduating. He also learned his favorite food is strawberry shortcake but he really had to pry that one out of him. Worth it.

They both strayed away from the question looming over them that he knew he’d have to tell him soon. He’d just wait until the time was right because the atmosphere around them was quite comfortable and he didn’t want to ruin it. Telling his new acquaintance how he died isn't a very light topic, especially since they just met. 

Now, Tsukishima was out cold on the couch and Yamaguchi lays on the floor of the bedroom down the hall to give him some privacy while he slept. Although the thought of watching him was tempting, he didn’t give in and reluctantly laid there with his hands behind his head. This guy was taking the situation very well. It all felt surreal to him and he was resisting from pinching himself but waking up in your apartment after dying is quite unbelievable too so this isn’t so bad. Plus he has company now.

He follows the familiar shadows on the ceiling with his eyes, waiting for the sun to rise. His chest rises and falls with his breaths and he lets his mind drift off. He’s filled with a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time and it makes him eager for the morning to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year for whoever's reading around that time :) I hope you enjoy this chapter. The rest of the crew are coming soon so don't worry lol.


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